Soccer | Crew: Gruenebaum traded, Clark acquired

Tuesday

Dec 17, 2013 at 12:01 AMDec 17, 2013 at 9:42 AM

Two moves provided clarity for at least one position on the Crew's roster for 2014. Yesterday, the Crew traded goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum to Sporting Kansas City and acquired goalkeeper Steve Clark from Seattle in separate deals, giving coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter a sense of finality at one position.

Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

Two moves provided clarity for at least one position on the Crew’s roster for 2014. Yesterday, the Crew traded goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum to Sporting Kansas City and acquired goalkeeper Steve Clark from Seattle in separate deals, giving coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter a sense of finality at one position.

“That feels great, and that’s what we’re slowly trying to do is lock these positions in and then forget about them,” he said. “I feel like we’re in a spot like that right now with our goalkeeping situation, so that’s huge.”

Doing so has meant parting ways with one of the most experienced members of last season’s roster. A first-round pick in the 2006 Major League Soccer supplemental draft, Gruenebaum primarily served as William Hesmer’s backup before a breakout 2012 season. He returned as a starter last season but sat out 13 games because of a shoulder injury. He departs third in Crew history in goals-against average (1.29) and shutouts (18) and fourth in victories (26) and saves (270).

Gruenebaum, 30, entered the season out of contract and initially appeared likely to re-sign with the Crew before talks soured. That, plus the retirement of Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen after winning the MLS Cup, helped set both moves in motion.

“We started the process negotiating with Andy and it went in a path and a direction that I wasn’t too happy with and we decided to take a step back from that negotiation and reevaluate,” Berhalter said. “During that time, this offer came up to us (for Clark). It came down to this is the guy we thought could be an important part of the team.”

Gruenebaum, a native of the Kansas City, Kan., area, could not be reached for comment. Although he was out of contract with the Crew, the club still retained the rights to Gruenebaum, who signed a contract with the league that Kansas City agreed upon before acquiring his rights for a second-round 2016 MLS SuperDraft pick.

Clark, 27, spent the past four seasons with Honefoss BK of Norway’s first division, where he compiled a 30-32-32 record, including 26 shutouts and a 1.34 GAA. The Sounders held a discovery claim on Clark, who agreed to a contract and was quickly traded to the Crew for a fourth-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Berhalter was familiar with Clark because of his prior coaching job in Sweden. Clark will compete with Matt Lampson, who started in Gruenebaum’s place, for the No. 1 position.

“He’s a guy that we’re bringing in to play,” Berhalter said. “The way I see it is Matt’s going to have to give him competition. That’s what I’m seeing right now. We just want to provide a cushion for Matt that he can grow and continue to develop in the right environment.”

The move gives the Crew four goalkeepers, with Daniel Withrow and Brad Stuver also on the roster, but Berhalter said the team will carry three when the season starts.